The Boy on Tatooine
by zeldas.lullaby
Summary: A One-shot fan fic about when Padme first meets Anakin in the junk shop on Tatooine. Padme's point of view. Please R & R, hope you like it!


_Author's Note: Hey! Sorry I haven't written any fan fics in a while, but hey, I needed an inspiration! So I had this idea to make a One-shot that tells the story of Padme first meeting Anakin on Tatooine, from Padme's point of view. I put a lot of time and effort into this, so please R & R! Enjoy, and if you haven't already, make sure to read two other fan fictions!_

I had to admit I was impatient. As a queen, I usually am able to compose myself during certain sticky situations, but at the moment I felt like screaming. How long have we been walking? Doesn't he know that were in a hurry?

Although I was annoyed by how long it was taking him just to find a shop, I envied how calm he was.

I've heard to expect that from most JedI.

Qui-Gon Jinn, the JedI Master who strolled casually by my side, was pondering which shop we should choose to buy from, showing no signs of anxiety on his bearded face. I squinted my eyes as the blinding sunlight poured down from the blue cloudless sky. As I studied the two twin suns, I thought once more of what got me here in the first place.

I remember the frightened faces of my people when news of the blockade traveled through Theed, the city that I knew so well. I remember Nute Gunray, claiming that all of this was legal, and the first armed battle droids marching through the streets. I also remember the two JedI and the Gungan, who were there to rescue me and the rest of our small group.

But most of all, I remembered that I was no longer Queen Amidala.

No, I was Padme the handmaiden, loyal to the Queen, who was my trusted friend and colleague. Or at least that's what it would seem. My "second life" is to protect me, a safety precaution that I thought I would never have to use.

After a hasty escape on my Royal Cruiser, we were now on the sunny desert planet of Tatooine, with a hyperdrive generator in need of replacement. Our only hope now is to find the part here in one of these junk shops in the city of Mos Espa. Hopefully, it won't be much longer till we can find it and leave to Coruscant.

And if we don't soon, my people will die. That's something I can't let happen.

Suddenly, interrupting my thoughts, I felt something tall and squishy bump me from behind, followed by a high-pitched, "Oops!" I turned around to see Jar Jar, the Gungan who helped Qui-Gon and his JedI Padawan rescue me from Naboo, picking himself up off the sandy ground.

"Mesa berry sorry, Padme!" Jar Jar apologized, rubbing the top of his head. I smiled. From the time we'd talked on the Cruiser, I'd grown fond of this silly frog-like creature, although the Gungans and the people of Naboo have never interacted with each other. After meeting Jar Jar, I'm surprised that we don't.

"It's okay." I replied politely, glancing at Qui-Gon as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. My eyes went back to Jar Jar. Just then, I heard a small beeping sound from behind Jar Jar's feet, and looked down at the short domed-head astromech droid that was identified as R2-D2.

The truth was that if it weren't for this astro-droid, I'd probably be dead.

When we had escaped Naboo on our starship, our pilot had to guide us through the Trade Federation's blockade. It was risky, but it was our only choice. We swerved and wove through the crazy laser fire, until one of the blockade ships shot us. The ship began to rapidly loose power.

We hoped that the astromech droids that we sent out onto the ship would be able to repair it before it was too late. In seconds, all the droids were destroyed.

Except for one.

The last little astromech worked quickly, and then, when almost all hope was lost, the power was restored. I wish I could've been in the cockpit when all of this happened, but I had to stay with my Queen (or my impersonator, so to speak). Captain Panaka, the head of my security, informed me of the event.

I patted R2's head rewardingly. He whistled cheerfully.

As soon as I turned back around, Qui-Gon's green eyes met mine.

"We'll try one of the smaller dealers." He said, gesturing to a line of small brown adobes. After a brief observation, we headed toward one that obviously sold a wide variety of spaceship parts, noticing the stack of broken ships piled behind the store.

When we entered, we were immediately greeted by a small chubby blue creature, which I recognized as a Toydarian, who appeared to own the junk shop. He had two small wings on his back that kept him floating in midair.

The Toydarian greeted Qui-Gon in a language that I couldn't understand, but Qui-Gon seemed to be familiar with it, for he stated, "I need parts for a J-type 327 Nubian."

Now talking in Basic, the Toydarian nodded his head and replied, "Ah yes, Nubian. We got lots of that." He then called something in his language over his shoulder. It almost sounded like he was shouting at someone.

Qui-Gon took out his small holoprojector and turned it on, revealing a hologram of my ship. Then he said something that I couldn't quite catch, because at that moment, a small boy entered from the back of the shop.

I couldn't help but notice him. He looked about nine or ten years old, but the expression he had on his face made him look like an intelligent young man. The boy had dirt all over his face and clothes, which were more like old rags.

As I stared, the shop owner asked the young boy a stern question that once again I couldn't comprehend. The boy answered, his voice high and childish. The Toydarian cut him off mid-sentence, taking Qui-Gon outside to continue their conversation, R2-D2 following him.

The only people left inside the shop were me, Jar Jar, and the strange boy. Jar Jar picked up an unknown part, fiddling with it and inspecting it. Before Qui-Gon went outside with the shop owner, he pulled the part out of Jar Jar's hands.

"Don't touch anything." Qui-Gon said in a strict voice, putting the part back where Jar Jar had picked it up.

Jar Jar stuck his long tongue out, making a face at Qui-Gon's back as he departed the shop. When he left, Jar Jar continued to rummage through the parts.

As I kept a careful eye on Jar Jar, making sure he didn't break anything, I could see the boy hop on top of counter, picking up a rag and a metal part, pretending to busily clean it. The whole time he kept sneaking glances up at me, almost as if he was…studying me. His unmoving stare made me nervous, for I shifted uneasily as I stood and watched Jar Jar.

Finally, after a long awkward period of silence, the boy spoke.

"Are you an angel?"

The question made me turn to look at him, an eyebrow raised. "What?" I asked, curious by what he meant.

"An angel," He repeated, sitting up straighter as he explained. "I've heard the deep space pilots talk about them. They're the most beautiful creatures in the universe. They live on the moons of….Iego, I think."

My eyes widened, surprised. An angel? I almost blushed, embarrassed.

"You're a funny little boy," I commented. "How do you know so much?"

"I listen to all the traders and starpilots that come by here," He answered. Then his eyes sparkled. "I'm a pilot, you know, and someday, I'm going to fly away from this place."

"You're a pilot?"

"All my life."

I smiled, amused. But by the way he said it, I could tell that he was telling the truth. "How long have you been here?" I mused aloud.

"Since I was very little. Three, I think. My mom and I were sold to Gardulla the Hutt, but she lost us, betting on the Podraces."

Suddenly, the realization hit me. Why hadn't I seen it before? Working at a junk shop. The clothes. The dirt.

"You're a…slave?" I whispered the word, afraid that it would offend him. It did. His brow furrowed, and his mouth twisted into a pout. "I'm a person and my name is Anakin!" He told me sternly.

"I'm sorry." I apologized, shaking my head as I scanned the junk shop. "This is a strange place for me." Anakin's face calmed again, as his gaze remained on me once more.

We both turned as we heard Jar Jar yelp in fear. Jar Jar, after messing around with some parts in the shop, accidentally activated a little droid. It bounced everywhere, knocking over things and running around the room.

As Jar Jar panicked, Anakin shouted, "Hey!"

"Wha?" Jar Jar asked, watching in alarm as the droid rammed into a box, making parts and tools fall onto the floor.

"Hit the nose!"

"Oh!"

Jar Jar nodded his head, then jabbed his fist into the center of the droid's "nose". It immediately folded back into itself again. Jar Jar jumped back in surprise.

And Anakin and I laughed.


End file.
